Scholar’s Advanced Technological System

“There is actually another possibility. ”

Tianzhou Space Port.

The old captain walked down the boarding gate and suddenly stopped and said with his back to the landing boat.

When he heard this strange phrase, a hint of curiosity arose in the eyes of the ark and he asked.

“What's possible? ”

“There are many ways to keep secrets, besides buying with honor, and silencing the informant forever," the old captain said with a slight smile, "I'm just saying, for example, let the destroyer behind us fire two cannons on us. Look, isn't the end result the same? ”

And…

Costs seem much lower.

Looking at the thinking ark, the old captain paused and continued.

“The Martyrs' Mausoleum is where I wait, and I'm ready for sacrifice, so I don't care, I'll even persuade you not to resist. But are you as conscious as I am? ”

“… there seems to be a wide variety of human choices," he said softly, not directly answering the question. "Perhaps I would like to thank him for the opportunity to meet the captain of the Pan-Asian First Fleet. ”

“He doesn't have the right to make such a decision, but... that being said, the truth is that we're the saviors to say thank you,” the old captain laughed and said, “I just wanted to say that if you're not brave enough to be righteous, next time, don't be brave enough to do it. ”

“I can swear I didn't do anything like that because of the heat in my head. ”

The old captain had gone far by the time the ark had said that.

Apparently, he didn't believe what he said.

He shrugged his shoulders helplessly and the ark gave up explanations.

To be honest, he would not have been able to stand up if it had not been for the fact that the crisis was already linked to the survival of human civilization.

Sitting in the terminal waiting for the next shuttle to the surface, the watch on his left wrist suddenly flashed as the ark pondered whether to do something about it or not.

Is that Em?

So thinking, the ark stretched out its index finger and lit it.

The result was unexpected, it wasn't Egg who appeared in the holographic beam, but Captain Xing.

“Where are you now? ”

“On the Skyboat...” Looking at Captain Xing with a heavy face, the Ark threw an interrogating gaze at him, "What's wrong? ”

“You wait for me there, we'll go to San Francisco together, and the flight will be faster. ”

“San Francisco?” frowned the boat. "What are you doing there? ”

Captain Xing was silent for a while before speaking.

“Your friend's hurt a little, I'm not sure it's the last side. ”

……

When the time came back 12 hours ago, the Jade Cheng had just completed its deceleration and was on track with the destroyer behind him.

The whole of San Francisco is surrounded by chaos.

The explosion of hospitals, the collapse of traffic, the collapse of production and supply systems, coupled with the loss of loved ones taking to the streets, has constrained a large number of police forces and exacerbated the already overburdened security environment.

Illegal robbers looted shops while black groups fought over the land...

No one thought that this city, famous for its friendliness and openness, would drastically reduce its population by hundreds of thousands in a day.

And no one has thought about it beforehand, what are the rest of us going to do once this terrible thing happens...

At night, Dong Binxiang left the apartment in a hurry and took a taxi at the door.

After the magnetic hover took off on the road, the black driver sitting in the driver's seat looked in the rear view mirror and said casually.

“Asian? ”

“Yes.”

“From where? China, Japan? Or a little further south? ”

Just thinking about it, Dong Bin answered impatiently.

“Does it matter? ”

“Of course… it doesn't matter, it's just that coming to San Francisco recently isn't a good option, even in a relatively safe suburb. ”

When he heard this, Dong Bin smiled slightly and made no comment.

How can he care about a few little thieves in the district when there are more than tens of thousands of people who have died in his hands...

The destination is an upscale neighborhood, as can be seen from the clean roads and doorways of dedicated human security guards who live here.

After walking up and presenting his visitor number, indicating that he was a guest of an owner, the security guard at the door quickly opened the folding door and let him in.

Following the address given to him by the pioneer, Dong Bin came straight to the single house in the corner of the neighborhood, walked up and rang the doorbell.

After a short while, the sound of footsteps came from behind the door and immediately turned the door handle.

Prior to that, with regard to the pioneer's realistic image, he had produced a series of imaginations, such as wisdom, kindness, courage, charm, etc., yet he did not expect that an old man appeared before him with wrinkles.

The old man did not seem to know him. He stared at him with his old dazed eyes for a while before speaking with hesitation.

“Who are you?”

At that moment, Dong Bin suspected that he had gone wrong, but when he confirmed the number of the door again, he found that there was no mistake.

This is the address given by the pioneer.

polite slight head, Dong Bin said softly.

“… you summoned me. ”

The moment I heard this, a glimmer of suddenness appeared in the old man's cloudy pupils.

“So... did I ask you to come here? Then come on in. ”

I don't know if it's intentional or unintentional. When I say this word, the old man's mouth is heavily pressed, as if it had been pointed out.

However, Dong Bin did not hesitate, but followed the old man obediently and came with him to the house.

“... there have been no guests here for many years, since I bought the house," the crutches lightly lit twice on the carpet in the living room, the old man whimpered, "This carpet is almost literary... I remember when I first bought it, the North American League didn't even have a shadow. ”

Seems to realize that his topic is a bit far-fetched, the old man laughs embarrassingly, ends the topic and looks at the Guest and says.

“I'm sorry, people talk a little too much, why don't you sit down... what's your name? ”

“Dong Bin. ”

“Dong Bin, right?” Shivering on the opposite couch, the old man touched his chin and said, "This name has rarely appeared in my memory… but it feels distant. ”

“Speaking of which, I haven't introduced myself, my name is David Lawrence, and I'm probably in my 100s... To be honest, I can't remember exactly how old I am, and it can't be more than 150 at all. ”

Dong Bin: “Are you… human? ”

“Yes, I disappointed you,” the old man laughed, looking at Dong Bin's pupil and said softly, “I guess you are a living man and an awakener. ”

Dong Bin nodded silently.

“You told me you wanted to talk to me face to face about the meaning of existence, so I came. ”

“Is that what I said?” Touching his chin, the old man thought for a moment and suddenly sighed and said, "Take that as I said, but I'm afraid I can't give you good advice. ”

“To be honest, I actually know why you're here, and I know why I let you come here... I should have made a choice a long time ago, probably because my weakness really hurt me and hurt us. ”

“That me?” Dong Bin frowned and said with some uncertainty, "Excuse me... what do you mean? ”

“That's a long story.”

The cloudy pupil stained with a hint of memory, seemed to hesitate to mention the old days, the old man silenced for a while and continued to say.

“A long time ago, even more than half a century ago, I almost ran out of money, and with the help of a voice from the void, I finally completed that great experiment, uploading consciousness and thought to hardware. ”

“Originally, at the last moment of the experiment, I should have paused the body's function of life, gained eternity in the digital world, and yet at the last moment when I pressed the button, I hesitated, so the world was born with two me, two I could never meet. ”

“You should know that, right? Thoughts are like a pair of entangled particles that collapse when they meet. And in a state of entanglement, I, or the one living in the digital world, am incomplete. ”

“He blamed me,” he blamed himself in the eyes of the old man, "blaming me for not having the courage to make a decision, dragging it from half a century ago to the present. ”

“He asked you to come see me, perhaps hoping that I would make a final choice. The meaning of existence, isn't it? Interesting, but to be honest, after all this time, I did live enough...”

Dong Bin frowned.

Obviously he came here to look for answers, but I don't know why, I always felt confused that it wasn't me who got the answers, but the old man sitting in front of me who should be confused.

Just as he was wondering whether to open his mouth, the look on the old man's face suddenly moved slightly, shifting his cloudy gaze towards the window.

There was a dark pitch of dark, dark night clouds, and there was no sign of man.

Yet he can feel where someone is.

The voice softened, old Lawrence, speaking in a gentle tone.

“The friend who's hiding outside, please come out, the implant body on you has revealed your position, despite your skill and success in avoiding all the cameras. ”

The living room door opened gently.

Looking at the person who appeared at the door, Dong Bin's pupils contracted instantly and reached into his arms to get up from the sofa. However, he was stopped by the old man's eyes. Finally, he did not get up from the sofa. Instead, quite a few people cast hostile gaze and said in a shadow.

“Pan-Asian cooperation agents on mission in North America? ”

“If necessary, we will appear in any corner of the world," looked past Dong Bin, and Wang Peng looked directly at the old man sitting on the couch, “Mr. Lawrence, you really made me look. ”

Lawrence smiled slightly and said.

“Do I know you? ”

“A hundred years ago, the Arctic Light cruise ship and the Manila bombing the following year... maybe no one remembers the adult past these days, but from a hundred years ago I remembered,” Staring dead at him, Wang Peng continued, “Even if you escape to the future, I will bring you to justice! ”

Gently moving the cane in his hand, Lawrence trembled and stood on the couch, turning back to Wang Peng, smiling and laughing.

“I've lived long enough, but if I could, I'd like to choose a decent way out of the world. ”

“As for the Manila bombing? Those ants have nothing to do with me. ”

The old man looked slightly at Dong Bin sitting on the couch.

“Do you want to know the meaning of existence? ”

Dong Bin nodded and stood silently on the couch, feeling what was already in the old man's eyes.

“Good,” Lawrence said softly, "kill him for me. ”

“Then you'll understand exactly what it means to exist. ”